Cigar machine locking mechanism



1945- J. F. HALSTE AD 2376,355

CIGAR MACHINE LOCKING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 24, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR JOHN F. HALSTEAD BY W ATTORNEY May 22, 1945. J HALSTEAD 2,376,355

CIGAR MACHINE LOCKING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 24, 1942 2 Sheets- Sheet 2 I INVENTOR JOHN EHALSTEAD B 4 2 ATTORNEY specifically set forth in the claims hereunto appended.

In the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification and in which like characters of reference indicate the same or like elements:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly in section, of the improved wrapper transfer;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, with parts being broken away to expose further details of the device;

Fig. 3 is a partial side elevation illustrating the wrapper carrier locking -device;

Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the lock controllin cam as seen from line 44 of Fig. l;

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the improved trap in U. S. patents to Wheeler Nos. 2,215,490 and 2,235,857. In suitable bearings I (not shown) formed in housing Ill is mounted a vertical shaft H. which is continuously rotated by suitable bevel gears l2 and 13 from the drive shaft M of the cigar machine, in substantially the'same manner as'that shown inthe above referred to patents. Ahorizontal arm i5, formed on hous ing CID, has suitable bearings (not shown), in

which is journalled a vertical hollow shaft 590 in-substantially the same manner as shown-in;

the WheelerPatent No. 2,235,857.

. To the top of housing it, and concentric with shaft H, is fixed a cam is having in its upper surface a track 11. On suitablebushings (not shown) concentrically mounted with, shaft H,

is loosely mounted a spurgear l8 meshing with a spur gear iefast on the aforementioned hollow shaft Hill. On: the upper face of. spur gear i9 are mounted two suitableplates- Z- and 2! havingtapered holes 22 and 23 formed vertically therein which receive a tapered dowel pin 24, hereinafterdescribed. Since there is no, play for all practical purposes between gear 19 and wrapper carrier 62, the latter will be held positively motionless when'the locking dowel pin. 24 is in engagement with either of said tapered holes 22 and 23. The pin24 and holes and 23 are formed with tapers to facilitate the engagement thereof if they should not be exactly aligned when, brought into locking engagement, and also because a taperautomatically' compensates for wear.

' Gear I8 is driven by a gear 25 mounted on the hub of gear it and affixed to it by suitable pins (not shown). Gear 25 meshes with a gear segment 25 of a lever 2'!- which has a follower 28'in engagement with track I! of cam I5. Therefore a gear 25 will be termed a driving gear and gear It! will .be called a, driven gear; If desired, gears l8 and 25 may be formed integral one with the other. carried by an index disk or driving member 30 faston the shaft 1!, thestud passing through an} arcuate slot L la, in gear I8 in order to permit relative motion between lever Bland gear 18.-

The function of leve r zl (or other suitable intermediate member) is to control the speed of gear i8 and thereby to' drive gear l9 and the hollow shaft we on which gear 19 is mounted, at different speeds at different positions of wrapper carrier head 62 during'each cycle of the machinei When the'ifollowerfZfi moves in a concentric portion'of cam track ll, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. lever -21'is stationary with'respect to gear-25;;and the gear system la,

The lever Zl is pivoted on a stud '29 in" r 2,376,355

25, 26 moves as one unit with disk 39, driving gear it at the same speed as gear it. But when follower 28 engages with an eccentric portion or low or high part of track H, the consequent turning of lever arm 2! causes the segment 26 to turn gear 25, thereby correspondingly advancing' or retarding gear It, as the case may be, with the result that the speed of gear I9 at that moment is increased or decreased, respectively, the speed varying in accordance with the curvature of track H at each point of the cycle.

At points where the reverse motion of segment 26 is equal in angular amplitude to the forward motion of disk 3!), the gear l9 will not turn at all, and the hollow shaft me on which gear it is mounted will dwell. It is at these dwell' positions that the tapered locking dowel pin It comes into action to hold gear I9 posidisk 3}].

against a dual cam constructed on the lower side of disk 38 (see Fig. 4) One part 33 of said dual cam is fixedly mounted on disk 3!] while the other part 35 is adjustably mounted adjacent to earn on screws 37 passing through elongated arcuate slots of part 35 and securing part 35 to The cam roller 3 is pressed against the dual cam track 33, 35, by means of a compression spring 36 which is supported in suitable slotted openings on said bracket 32 and arm 3!.

It is desirable to momentarily maintain the wrapper carrier head stationary at the pickup positionand at the delivery station, for reasons already stated. Whenthe wrapper carrier 62 is over the lifter head L, roller 34, due to the compression spring 35, will ascend into the cutaway portion 58 of cam 33, thus causing the dowel pin 24 to engage with hole 22 of plate 28 to lock gear 19 momentarily against all move ment.

When wrapper carrier 6?. has traveled to the time at each stopping station is approximately .185 of a second.

A cigar machine of the type underdiscussion can be converted to wrap cigars of a wide'variety of shapes. In wrapping cigars with different shapes, it is necessary to stop Wrapper carrier 82 at different positions over the'wrapper applying mechanism WA so that the Wrapper will be fed correctly about the cigar bunch fromwrapper carrier 62.

To make provision for this change-over, the present inventor has adjustably'mounted'cam 35 so that when cam 16 causes the wrapper carrier to come to a temporary pause at another fixedstation, the cut away portion 52 can be turned to coact with roller 3 3 and thereby causepin 24 to descend into hole 23 of plate 2! which has been similarly relocated' To. the lower end of the hollow shaft lllilon locking said support against movement at at least one of the predetermined positions of said head at said source of wrapper supply and said bunch rolling station in said closed and irregularly curved path, and stationary cams cooperatingwith said driving member for effecting the movement of said head along said path.

2. In a cigar machine, a wrapper transfer comprising: a wrapper carrier head, means for moving said head in a closed circuitous path between a source of wrapper supply and a wrapping station said means including a rotatable support on which said carrier head is pivotally mounted, and a device adapted to engage said support for positively locking said support against movement while the carrier head is at the source of supply and at the wrapping station, said device including a detent, a member rigidly connected to said support and provided with a plurality of recesses suitably spaced to be respectively moved into positions opposite said detent when said carrier head is at the wrapper supply and wrapping stations, and instrumentalities for displacing said detent into engagement with said recesses.

3. In a cigar machine, a wrapper transfer mechanism comprising: a wrapper carrier head, means for moving said head in a closed path between a source of supply of wrappers and a wrapping station, including a vertical support, a shaft journalled in said support, a fixed cam, a driving and a driven gear mounted on said shaft, a driva vertical stud, a gear segment secured to said stud andmeshing with said driving gear, a cam follower secured to said segment engaging in a track of said fixed cam, a horizontal arm formed on said support, a shaft journalled in said arm, a gear mounted on said last-mentioned shaft for coacting with said driven gear, a locking device constructed and arranged to be actuated by said driving member for locking the gear mounted on said last-mentioned shaft against all movement during predetermined portions of the wrapper transferring cycle, said wrapper carrier head being mounted on said last-mentioned shaft for movement therewith. 4

4. In a cigar machine, a wrapper transfer mechanism comprising: a wrapper carrier head; means for moving said head in a closed path between a source of supply of wrappers and a wrapping station, including a vertical support; a shaft journalled in said support; a fixed cam; a driving and a driven gear mounted on said shaft; a driving member fixed to said shaft and provided with a vertical stud; a gear segment secured to said stud and meshing with said driving gear; a cam follower secured to said segment engaging in a track of said fixed cam; a horizontal arm formed on said support; a shaft journalled in said arm; a gear mounted on said last-mentioned shaft for coacting with said driven gear; a spring tensioned lever arm constructed and arranged to be actuated. by a cam mounted on said driving member; a tapered locking pin connected to said lever arm; tapered holes formed on the gear mounted on said last-mentioned shaft for receiving said pin at predetermined intervals to positively lock said last-named gear against all movement; said wrapper carrier head being mounted on said lastmentioned shaft for movement therewith.

5. In a cigar machine, a wrapper transfer mechanism comprising: a wrapper carrier head; means for moving said head in a closed path between a source of supply ofwrappers and a wraping member fixed to said shaft and provided with to said shaft and provided with a vertical stud; a

cam for actuating said lever arm mounted on said driving member; a gear segment secured to said stud and cooperating with said driving gear; a cam follower secured to said segment engaging in a track of said fixed cam; a horizontal arm formed on said support; a shaft journalled in said horizontal arm; a gear mounted on said secondnamed shaft coacting with said driven gear; means mounted on the gear on said second named shaft constructed and arranged to coact with said latch to lock the gear on said second named shaft during predetermined periods of its cyclical travel; a fixed cam coaxial with said secondnamed shaft; articulated members secured to said second-named shaft and mounting said head for movement thereabout; and a cam follower mounted on one of said members for cooperation with said second-named cam for controlling the path of movement of said head.

6. In a cigar machine wrapper transfer, the combination with a suction wrapper carrier head, of means for moving said head to and from a source of supply, said means comprising a pair of vertical shafts, one of said shafts driving the other shaft, means on said driving shaft for driv ing the other shaft at a varying rate of speed and thereby effecting the movement of said head, including a driving member affixed to said driving shaft, a stationary cam associated with said driving shaft,'a gear loosely mounted on said driving shaft, a lever provided with a gear segment pivotally mounted on said driving member, said segment engaging with said gear, a gear fixed to said driven shaft and meshing with said loose gear for carrying the drive to said driven shaft, a cam follower on said lever arranged to track in said cam for controlling the rate of speed of said driven shaft, a stationary locking device for temporarily locking said driven shaft in position at predetermined periods of its rotary travel, and means forming a part of said locking device constructed and arranged to receive actuating movement from said driving shaft to lock against movement and unlock for free movement said driven shaft at said'predetermined periods.

7. In a cigar machine wrapper transfer, the combination with a suction wrapper carrier head, of means for moving said head at varying rates of speed to and from a source of supply of wrappers once each cycle of said machine, said means comprising a driven and a drive shaft, a driving member on said drive shaft, 2. speed change device mounted on said member, a cam cooperating with said device for controlling the rate of speed of said driven shaft, a stationary bracket mounted on said cam, a spring ten-sioned lever arm mounted :1 on said bracket, a cam follower mounted on one end of said arm for engagement with a cam driven by said drive shaft, and a locking device constructed and arranged on the other end of said lever arm for locking said driven shaft in predetermined positions at predetermined periods of its rotary cycle.

8. In a cigar machine, the combination with a wrapper carrier head, and means for mounting said head for movement in a closed path, of a drive for moving said means and thereby movingsaidihead, in; said 0103811513311'1'1, mechanism for controlling the, tmovementof w'saidmdrive' said mechanism-including, a vertical shaft,.,a stationgear, a cam follower on the other end of said lever, said follower engaging a track in said cam for controlling the motion of said head during the rotation of said shaft, a bracket fixed to a stationary support on the cigar machine, a lever arm having a cam follower at one end pivotally mounted on said bracket, a locking mechanism formed on the other end of said lever arm for engaging with said drive to maintain said means stationary, a second cam fixed to saiddriving ,idr-ivet eachgtime 'said carrierlhead is momentarily :stopped ,over each of said .stations, and; cam

mechanism {for operating sai'cll locking ldeilice, saidglcam 'mechanism beinglladjnstable to. operate member, and tension means for holding said cam follower in engagement with said second cam.

9. Driving mechanism for a cigar machine Wrapper transfer comprising avertical support, a shaft journalled in said support, a stationary cam, a driving member secured to said shaft, connected driving and driven gears mounted on said shaft, a stud located in saidmember and provided with a gearisegment lever, said segment engaging one of said gears to rotate the same relative to said shaft, a horizontal arm forming a part of said support, a hollow shaft journalled in said arm, a gear fixed to said hollow shaft and meshing with said driven gear on said first-named shaft, a stationary cam located about said hollow shaft, a locking device mounted on a fixed part of-the cigar machine, a cam mounted on said driving member for actuating said loci;- ing device to engage with the gear on said hollow shaft to lock the same against movement,

a wrapper carrier head, an articulated support for said carrier head fixed to said hollow shaft, a cam follower mounted on said articulated support and engaging atrack in said second-named stationary cam, and a movable cam mounted on said articulated support and arranged to engage rollers on said second stationary cam to reset the position of said carrier head'at the termination of a wrapper feeding cycle.

10. In a cigar machine, a cut cigar wrapper transfer mechanism comprising, a wrapper carri'er head for transferring cut wrappers from a supply station to a wrapper applying station, a drive for moving said carrier head between said two stations and stopping said carrier head momentarily over at least one of said stations in each cycle of the machine, and a locking device for momentarily locking said drive each time said carrier head is momentarily stopped over one of said stations, said drive including a rotatable support on which said carrier head is pivotally mounted, and saiddevice including a detent adapted to engage said support when the carrier head is stopped at one of said stations and thereby prevent movement of said support, and

mechanism for operating s'aid detent in each machine cycle, said mechanism being adjustable to said locking device at various points in the transfer cycle.

12. In a cigar machine provided with a source of supply of wrappers and a bunch rolling station, the combination with a Wrapper transfer device including a suction carrier head and a movable support for said head, of means for moving said head at varying speeds atdifferent positions of said head, to and from said source of supply and bunch rolling station once in each cycle of said machine, said means operating to stop said head momentarily at positions adjacent the source of supply and bunch rolling station, and a device for locking said support against movement while said carrier head is at the source of supply and at the bunch rolling station.

13. In a cigar machine providediwith a source of supply of wrappers and a bunch rolling station, the combination with a Wrapper transfer device including a suction carrier head and a movable support for said head, of mechanism for moving said support and head at varying speeds at different positions of said head in a closed and irregularly curved path to and from said source of supply andbunch rolling station once in each cycle of said machine, said mechanism operating to stop said head momentarily at positions adjacent the source of supply and bunch rolling station, a device for locking said support against movement while at the source of supply and at the bunch rolling station, and said mechanism including means for guiding the movement of said head in its closed irregularly shaped path, said guiding means including a closed continuous cam track, an arm connected ,to said support, and a cam roller on said arm ensaid carrier head when stopped at said Wrapping station, said drive means including a rotatable support on which said carrier head is pivotally mounted, and said locking means including a detent adapted to engage said support when saidhead is at said wrapping station and thereby prevent movement of said support at said station in each machine cycle, and mechanism for operating said detent in each machinecycle, said mechanism being adjustable to operate said detent sooner or later in each cycle.

15. In a cigar machine wrapper transfer drive, an intermittently driven hollow shaft, a hollow arm mounted on said hollow shaft, a. suctionwrapper carrier head, a hollow arm on which said carrier head is supported, the arm supporting said head being articulated on the arm supported on said hollow shaft, a driven member fixed to said hollow shaft, means for driving said driven member at various speeds at various positions of said head, said driving means operating to stop said hollow shaft at two predetermined positions corresponding to the wrap per receiving and wrapper depositing positions or said carrier head, latch receiving means formed on said driven member, latch means engaging said latch receiving means at said predetermined stationary positions of said hollow shaft to lock said driven member in said stationary predetermined p sitions, means for releasing said latch JOHN F. HALSTEAD. 

